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The Christopher Mackin Problem, or Three Brothers?

My husband’s most distant ancestor in his surname line is Christopher Mackin. Christopher was born in Ireland 10 August 18211 and first appears in American records in Madison, Wisconsin, where he filed a declaration of intention in 1854.2

Unfortunately, none of Christopher’s records point to an Irish place of origin or name his parents. However, there are clues in his association with two other men named Mackin in the Madison area. If we can establish the relationship between Christopher and these other Mackins with some degree of certainty, we may be able to infer the identity of his parents and his Irish place of origin from theirs. Intriguingly, all three men named sons James. If they followed Irish naming conventions, this suggests that their fathers may have been named James.

In 1860 Christopher shared a household with a younger man named John Mackin, age 30, who was also born in Ireland. Also in the household was John’s apparent wife Ellen, age 19.4 Christopher and John owned adjacent land,5 and Christopher later purchased John’s land.6 Christopher’s probate file contains a receipt dated 16 November 1867 from George Blake for interest on a note of mortgage given by Christopher Mackin to John Mackin and “having the charge and keeping of the minor children of said John who is in California.”7 The cohabitation, neighboring land parcels, land sale, and payment for care of John’s children suggest that Christopher and John were related, perhaps as brothers, perhaps as cousins.

Christopher’s probate record names a second man named Mackin, also without specifying a relationship. James McKin of Madison posted $1500 surety for Mary McKin of Vermont, administratrix of the estate of Christopher Mackin deceased.8 In 1870, three years after Christopher’s death, three men named James McCan/McKin/McCann lived in Madison:

James McCann, age 40, laborer, lived in Madison Ward 1 with apparent wife Julia, also age 40, and apparent children John, Mary, James, Katie, and Fidelia.9

James McKin, age 42, laborer, lived in Madison Ward 4 with apparent wife Kate, age 40, and apparent children Mary, Anne, Coleman, Anna, James, and Christopher.11

Of the three James Mackins in Madison, James who was married to Kate appears most likely to be the James who provided bond for Christopher’s widow, since he named a son Christopher the year after Christopher of Vermont’s death.

Six descendants of Christopher Mackin have taken autosomal DNA tests. Descendants of John Mackin and James Mackin have been traced forward in time, and efforts to find relevant DNA matches and recruit additional DNA testers are ongoing.

St. James Cemetery (Town of Vermont, Dane County, Wisconsin; County Road F, south of Black Earth), Christopher Mackin marker; personally read and photographed by author, 2005. ↩

John was issued a patent 15 May 1857 for 80 acres (the W1/2NE1/4 of section 21, township 007N, range 006E of the 4th Prime Meridian), and Christopher was issued a patent 1 June 1858 for 120 acres consisting of the E1/2NE1/4 and the NE1/4SE1/4 of section 21. Bureau of Land Management, “Land Patent Search,” database, General Land Office Records (www.glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx : accessed 30 March 2011), entries for Christopher Machen, Dane County, Wisconsin, no. 22599, and John Meckin, Dane County, Wisconsin, no. 24102. ↩